NR #1996-035: For Immediate Release
Lake Erie Overtures Synod to Withdraw from North American Presbyterian and
Reformed Council
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
United Reformed News Service
TROY, Mich. (March 18, 1996) URNS - "Amen and Hallelujah!"
That's how at least one Classis Lake Erie delegate greeted a proposal to
have the Christian Reformed denomination leave the North American
Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC), a fellowship of conservative
Presbyterian and Reformed denominations of which the CRC is the largest
member.
Rev. Carroll Keegstra's three-word response was one of the briefer comments
voiced at Classis Lake Erie's March 2 meeting, but his sentiments definitely
weren't unique at classis.
In its overture, Classis Lake Erie noted that "in recent years some of our
NAPARC partners have expressed disagreement with our decisions on a variety
of matters and especially with our decision to allow our congregations to use
the gifts of women in the offices of the church."
"They have also informed us that if we persist in such decisions, our
relationship to them and to NAPARC will be adversely affected," said Classis
Lake Erie. "To prevent a bitter debate over expulsion from NAPARC, we believe
Synod 1996 ought to terminate our membership in this council."
According to Classis Lake Erie, the problem with NAPARC is not the
council's view that women should not serve as ministers or elders but the
efforts underway in two of its member denominations to expel the CRC from
membership. "We are certainly willing to hear the point of view of our NAPARC
partners," said Classis Lake Erie. "In fact, we have graciously listened even
when there were legitimate questions about the accuracy of what was
communicated."
However, Classis Lake Erie cited numerous examples of communications
to the CRC from the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church [ADD: advocating further steps against the CRC if it
allows the ordination of women. Among the communications cited are a
letter from the 1995 PCA General Assembly declaring that "we have instructed
our Interchurch Relations Committee to use all due process to remove the
Christian Reformed Church from membership in NAPARC if the Christian Reformed
Church does not repent of and rescind the action at the synod."
One item to which Classis Lake Erie took particularly strong exception was
the contact between Christian Reformed conservative groups and other NAPARC
member denominations. "In the same statement the PCA goes on to say 'we
commend the sizeable number in your midst who are working hard to see the CRC
remain faithful to Scripture on this issue and pray for God to use this group
to prevail at the 1996 synod,'" said Classis Lake Erie. "This is clearly a
call to divisiveness, contrary to the decision of Synod 1995 to live with
this decision until the year 2000 in the hope that 'a period during which the
issue is not hotly and bitterly debated will allow the denomination to
prayerfully reflect on the issue without the pressure of an imminent
decision.'"
The classis also cited similar examples of contact between the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church and both the Alliance of Reformed Churches and the
now-defunct Association of Christian Reformed Laymen.
"In view of the fact that the PCA has decided to pursue this course of
action and in light of our unhappy history with at least two of our NAPARC
partners, it is best for our denomination simply to resign its NAPARC
membership," said Classis Lake Erie. "Little is to be gained by our continued
membership in an organization where we are not wanted and where other members
seem intent on fostering division among our churches."
Pastor George Vander Weit of North Hills CRC in Troy led off the debate with
a spirited defense of the overture submitted by his church. "We're sick of
arguing with each other, we don't want to get into arguments with people
outside of our fellowship, so let's just get out on our own," said Vander
Weit.
Keegstra, a former head of the Michigan Ecumenical Forum, followed up on his
earlier brief comments with a more detailed explanation. "It's time we start
withdrawing from the ones that aren't ecumenical," said Keegstra. "Relations
with people who are seeking relationships with others are helpful. When we're
in relationship with people who are divisive, that's not only
counterproductive but unhelpful."
While no delegates in Classis Lake Erie - long a leader in the
women-in-office debate - endorsed the efforts to expel the CRC from NAPARC
for allowing the ordination of women some argued that withdrawing from
NAPARC was an inappropriate response.
"I'm always uncomfortable when people walk away from someone who's trying to
hold them to account," said Elder Brian Bauer of Saginaw CRC.
Rev. Harry Winters of Akron CRC seconded Bauer's concern. "It's always
frustrating when people run away from churches when they are under
discipline," said Winters. "I think this is something like that. If they want
to kick us out, that's fine."
However, Dr. Clayton Libolt of River Terrace CRC in East Lansing endorsed
the North Hills overture. "Maybe this is a time when you preserve the peace
if they don't have us to talk about and fight about," said Libolt. "I never
like to break ecumenical relationships, but I think this is maybe helpful."
Vander Weit argued that a Christian Reformed decision to leave NAPARC would
in the long run be helpful for it and at least some of its members. "A battle
over kicking the CRC out of NAPARC will be harmful to the PCA itself. One of
the prayers at the South Holland conference extolled God for the PCA," said
Vander Weit, referring to the Interclassical Conference of Christian Reformed
conservatives held last fall in the Chicago suburb of South Holland. "This is
not ecumenical relations; this is meddling, pure and simple."
When the overture came to a vote it passed handily by voice vote.
"The overture is about false charges and threats," said Vander Weit in
a later interview. "The communications cited are not 'concerns about women in
office' - which we repeatedly say that we are willing to hear - they are
communications that threaten to get us kicked out of NAPARC."
NAPARC secretary Rev. Donald Duff - who also serves as stated clerk of the
Orthodox Presbyterian Church - urged caution in dealing with the proposal.
"They have to make up their minds what they want to do, of course," said
Duff. "They need to recognize that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has never
sent any official representative to the Alliance and he was never an official
delegate that I know of."
"I think that one thing they ought to know is that the question of women in
office didn't even come up at the last NAPARC meeting," said Duff. "That was
a non-topic. I think that's partly because of what the PCA said, that we
ought to throw them out if they didn't repent in 1996, but NAPARC did not
have any particular overtures to say anything about women in office this
year."
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